Newbie question regarding meat thermometers

[spinsheet]

Are meat thermometers meant to be left in while cooking or do you pop them in when you want to check the internal temp them remove them? I had one that I left in while cooking but in seemed to be reading the grill temp and not the internal meat temp. It was also a cheapie so that might have had something to do with it.

[mike.stavlund]

The Maverick thermometers are meant to stay in the meat the whole time.  But probe-type thermometers are supposed to be removed from the grill during cooking, I believe. 

The Thermapen is an awesome tool for temping meat-- it makes a very small hole, and reads temps in 2 or 3 seconds.  I use mine on rotisserie cooks because it's fast enough to take the temp while the food is still spinning. 

[spinsheet]

It looks like a great thermometer, but $95 is a bit more than I can pay for something like that. I did just find this thermometer:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002GE2XF8?ie=UTF8&tag=amazingribs--20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002GE2XF8.

Any thoughts on that one?

[edhead35]

That one will work fine. less cost means longer to get a reading and to some degree, accuracy but not so much that  99% of people will notice. Most go a lifetime without a Thermopen, so don't sweat it. That one you list is not meant to stay in during cooking.

The Thermopen  comes into its own in a production environment, when you need to probe many pieces of meat and get the oven shut ASAP, or if you have money to burn.

[Bosibus]

It looks like a great thermometer, but $95 is a bit more than I can pay for something like that. I did just find this thermometer:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002GE2XF8?ie=UTF8&tag=amazingribs--20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002GE2XF8.

Any thoughts on that one?

I have this and it works great, been using it for about 3 years now.  Prob changed battery 3 or 4x though but its just a watch battery.